


Phoenix Rising

by Goldendoodlegamer11, willowcat33



Series: frenniversary gifts! [1]
Category: Escape the Night (Web Series), Escape the Night RP
Genre: (to friends again), Angst, Betrayal, Broken Alliances, Burns, Death, Electric Chairs Challenge, Electrocution, Friends to Enemies, Gen, Hurt Comfort (the comfort comes a loooot later), Hurt No Comfort, Individual tws will be posted at the beginnings of each chapter, Insensitive Comments, Kill Yourself Or Kill Your Friend, Kinda?, Murder, Pain, Panic Attacks, Platonic Ride Or Die, Scars, Stabbing, Stay safe y'all, Suicide contemplation, Swearing, Swords, alex you're a good host but also don't tell me to just get over a panic attack, bittersweet endings, even if it's in rp, hoo boy it's a fun time all around, hoodoo voodoo witchcraft shit, i guess?, revival
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2019-08-30
Packaged: 2020-07-31 08:54:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20112457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Goldendoodlegamer11/pseuds/Goldendoodlegamer11, https://archiveofourown.org/users/willowcat33/pseuds/willowcat33
Summary: rising/ˈrʌɪzɪŋ/adjective1.going up, increasing, or sloping upward."the rising temperature"2.(of a bird) depicted with the wings open but not fully displayed, as if preparing for flight.//Or, a novelisation of a segment of an EtN discord roleplay. I'm sorry.





	1. Would You Hold My Hand? (And Could You Carry Me Through No-Man's-Land?)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [canufeelthemagictonight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/canufeelthemagictonight/gifts).

> hey y'all! Tegan here. This is a collab with my friend Dawson, please go read her part as well! This is also a frenniverseray gift for my good friend Leah! Though technically our frenniverseray isn't until September, oops
> 
> tws: electrocution, electric chairs, crying, swearing, betrayal, scars (specifically new burn scars), death.

“Electric chairs, huh?” Birdy shakes her head in disbelief as the group hurries back to the lounge. Tegan makes a small noise of agreement, clutching her friend’s hand for comfort. The smaller girl is panicking, she’s been so out of it in this past hour - she hasn’t pulled her weight enough. What with Space and Birdy _ destroying _ the puzzles and the math - she can do maths! She’s just not super fast, like the rest of them. So she’ll be lucky as all hell if its not her in one of those chairs. She just hopes the other person isn’t Birdy.

Eventually they all get back to the lounge, and collapse wearily into their seats.

“Good God,” Birdy is still shocked at the prospect of the challenge.

“This is sick.” Alex agrees.

Space nods in agreement. “Are we gonna discuss this first, or?” He motions at the voting area in the corner.

Alex shakes his head. “We should plead our cases- Tegan, you can go first,”

For once, Rea seems to agree, though she refuses to plead her case.

Tegan gulps, wringing her gloved hands anxiously. “Guys- I know I haven’t been helping much in these puzzles, but please, don’t vote for me.” She’s trying to stifle her panic and the swirl of thoughts tearing through her head.

Her heart sinks as she sees the pity in everyone else's eyes. _They don't believe her_.

Space pipes up next. "I'm really good when it comes to riddles and maths. I promise that if I don't get voted in you can rely on me to help you escape." he says, and Tegan nods along. He's for _ sure _not going into those damn chairs.

Alex nods as well. "What about you, Birdy?" He turns to the girl, still sat beside Tegan (who still hasn't let go of her hand).

"Well," she begins. ""I've been trying to be a team player this whole time, I'm solving riddles and I'm pretty good at the sums too. My aim is to keep this team together and get as many people out as possible." As an afterthought, she gently let's go of Tegan's hands and raises her fists as if she's about to fight. "_ And _I did well in that strongman thing, so, I can punch a guy?" She offers.

Once she's done, Tegan makes a small noise of agreement. "Birdy _ definitely _shouldn't go into this challenge. She's done the most for this group."

_ Please, put me in if you must, kill me even, but don't hurt Birdy. Spare her, please! _her mind begs, but the words catch in her throat- afraid of showing weakness, she chokes them down, and forces away the prickles that signal the beginning of tears.

Alex moves on swiftly, which makes Tegan feel sick with nerves. "Dawson, what about you?"

As the third (and unofficial) member of her and Birdy's alliance, Tegan is concerned for Dawson. As Dawson speaks, Tegan shifts nervously in her seat, and Birdy silently takes her hand again, squeezing it in a gesture of comfort.

"I think I’ve been helpful, I’ve helped solve puzzles and I’ve tried to be a team player, I really think that I shouldn’t go in there because I think I’ve proved myself.” Dawson explains, sounding slightly nervous.

"Well, everyone has pleaded their cases. We should vote." Alex says, finality and determination in his voice. He votes first, scribbling the name down hurriedly and returning quickly to his seat.

Tegan goes next. She makes her decision as she reaches the little counter- she's voting for _ herself _ . Everyone else has proved themselves recently, and she's just been so out of it she may as well have been a thousand miles away (and God, she wishes she was). As she writes her name down, survival instinct _ screaming _at her to stop, she fights back tears once more.

Tegan hates this. She just wants to go _ home._

She hurries back to her seat, tucking her legs up on the couch with a big sigh,as Birdy goes to vote. When her friend returns, Tegan slips her gloved hand back into Birdy's, trying to comfort both herself and her friend.

As everyone votes, and Zora starts shaking the hat,Tegan tries to calm herself, putting herself into a happy place by thinking about the first time she'd met Birdy in real life, or the ""wild"" as they sometimes called it.

_ They'd met at the airport, squealing excitedly. She remembers being bowled over by the sheer force of Birdy's hug. She remembers holding hands as they walked to the park, remembers having a beautiful midsummer's day picnic._

"The first person going into the challenge is…"

Birdy's face is anxious and pale - _ She's smiling, laughing, as they chat about nothing in particular, _ \- and as Tegan holds her hand tightly - _ holding hands, sat on the swings but not really swinging, more than content to stay in this moment forever _\- she can feel Birdy grip it back like it's a lifeline.

"Birdy, The Philosopher." Zora reads out from the slip of paper.

Tegan's midsummer memory shatters in her mind's eye, and she gasps. "What?!? No!" She whimpers, distressed. She looks at Birdy- her friend seems resigned to her fate, but terrified none the less._ No, God, please not Birdy, please-_

"And the second…" Tegan holds her breath as the second piece of paper is selected.

"Tegan, The Mediator." The planet may as well have come crashing to a halt- Tegan wouldn't have noticed. Only one thought fills her mind, surfacing over the roar of the tidal wave of panic in her head.

_ If I want to live, Birdy has to _die. She claps a hand over her mouth to stifle a scream.

Various cries of "What?!" And "Oh, shit!" Can be heard from the group.

Zora speaks over them, the helper's face sympathetic. "Birdy, Tegan, you must both pick a partner who will be responsible for saving your life. Birdy, as you were drawn first, you may pick first."

Tegan slouches over, groaning, hair hanging down as she rests her head on her knees. Birdy gently lets go of her hand.

"Uh- Care to lend a hand, Dawson?" Birdy says. Tegan looks up a little, and Birdy is smiling weakly yet hopefully.

Dawson takes one of Birdy's hands and holds it gently between both of her own. She nods firmly, smiling weakly as well. "I'm gonna try as hard as I can to save you." She promises solemnly.

"Tegan, pick a partner." Zora instructs.

She sits up, and looks around the room, steadying her breathing. _ Think. Who's been solving puzzles, who can you rely on to save you?_

"Um- Space, think you could help?" She asks awkwardly.

"I'll try my best…!" Space says earnestly.

With her free hand, Birdy pulls Tegan into her side. Tegan wraps her arms tightly around her friend, and whispers a myriad of apologies into her ear.

"Shit, _ liebling, _ I'm so sorry _ Bärchen _ I'm so- so sorry, please, _ schatz-" _German and English almost jar against each other, the words slipping from her mouth a broken symphony.

Birdy shushes her gently. "Shh… Shh, petal, it's okay," she soothes. "Just fight for me, okay? I'll fight for you."

Tegan nods, taking in a shuddering breath. _ Be brave, _ she tells herself, _ Have courage. If not for yourself, then for Birdy. Be brave, _ please _ . _"Okay. Maybe- just maybe - theres a way we both get out of this"

"Good luck you guys.." Space murmurs as he rises from the couch, ready to follow them into the challenge. Dawson hums in agreement, and does the same.

Alex gets up to follow, and asks Rea if she's coming. "I'd rather not, thanks." Is her response.

Tegan gently releases Birdy, and they start to follow Zora down to the basement.

Neither of them let's go of the other's hand, until they absolutely _ have _to. Birdy looks almost sick when she sees the chairs, but she puts on a brave face.

Dawson takes a deep breath. "I'm gonna save you, Birdy," she says, as her partner is strapped into the chair.

"Let's try our best, yeah?" Space agrees, as they wait for instructions.

Tegan screws up her face in anticipation, flexing her wrists in their leather bindings. "Best of luck,_ liebling _." She calls to her friend.

"I guess we're doing this.." Birdy says.

Zora reads their instructions. _ 'You guys will have to try to get the rings in the poles (Every riddle you solve, you get a ring in a pole). You need 5 rings to win and save your partner."_

Birdy is nodding. “Okay, you’re good at riddles, right Daw?” she checks with her partner.

“You can do this, _ both _ of you!” Alex cheers from the sidelines.

“Yeah- I got this!” Dawson says, although she seems to be nervous still. 

"Let's both just try our best," Space suggests. Tegan nods from her seat fidgeting anxiously (although, her movement is very limited by where she's bound.)

"_ But for every riddle you don't get, your partner gets tazed."_

Space breathes in sharply in shock. Various "oh shits" are here throughout the room, and clumsy panicked babbling spills from Tegan's mouth.

"Can we uh- can we help our partners?" She asks, disheartened when Zora shakes her head.

"That's dumb- we just have to sit here and hope?" Birdy agrees, shaking her head.

Zora picks up the first piece of paper and clears her throat. "_ Riddle One," _she reads, and although the room falls silent, the air is so thick with tension you could probably cut it with a knife.

"_ I have a magnet but I don’t stick to metal _

_ I have a needle but I can’t sew _

_ I sometimes have scales but I can’t weigh anything _

_ I help you find your way but I’m not a map _

_ I have N E W S on me but I’m not a TV" _Zora says.

Space thinks for a moment, and then calls out "Compass!". To Tegan's (guilty) delight, Zora confirms that as correct. Birdy curses under her breath,and then apologises for it.

"One point to Space." Zora announces calmly, looking as if she couldn't care less who lived and who died.

"Yes! Only four more to go!" Space reassures both himself and his partner.

_ Oh, thank god, _ Tegan thinks. _ Wait shit but that means-_

There's a buzzing electrical sound which is quickly drowned out by Birdy's piercing scream, agony wracking her body as sparks travel up and down her.

Tegan feels sick to her stomach, muttering a myriad of apologies under her breath.

As it fades, Birdy still screwing up her face in pain, Zora reads the second riddle.

"_ Riddle 2: I’m sometimes fluffy but I’m not a bunny _

_ I can be a mushroom but I’m not eaten _

_ I can drop water on you but I’m not a shower _

_ I’m in the sky but I’m not a bird _

_ I can cover the sun but I’m not the moon"_

"I _ know _this one!" Birdy calls out, frustrated.

Dawson looks like she's about to answer, but Space beats her too it, with a loud cry of "Cloud!". Zora confirms it to be the right answer.

The electricity sparks up once more, and Birdy screams louder. "I DON’T like that!" She snaps, looking wrecked.

It's at this point Tegan can't hold back the hot, thick flood of tears of grief (though for her or Birdy, she's not sure yet.), and she starts crying.

"Well done Space," she chokes out, following up with more apologies. "I'm sorry, Birdy, I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay T," her friend soothes, looking just as heartbroken as Tegan does. "It's okay…"

"It's _ not, _it's really not." Tegan shakes her head, tears darkening the fabric of her party dress.

Zora reads the third riddle, seemingly unaffected by the goings on.

"_ Riddle 3: I contain vegetables but I’m not a salad _

_ I contain fruit but I’m not a fruit salad _

_ I contain nuts but I’m not peanut butter _

_ I have a horn but I’m not a car _

_ I’m often associated with Thanksgiving but I’m not a turkey."_

Dawson finally gets one, shouting the correct answer of "Cornucopia!". Zora nods and she smiles in relief.

"Great, _ love _not being American." Space jokes.

"Boy I'm _ Canadian!" _Dawson throws back.

"Yeah and we're British, so lucky someone knows that." Birdy points out.

As everyone realises what's about to happen,the mood becomes serious again. "Crap, Tegan, I'm sorry!" Space says, distraught.

"This is gonna hurt, babe, just so you know. Sorry." Birdy warns, biting her lip guiltily.

The electricity hits Tegan, and the agony is blinding. She screams, writhing. She screams some more as her metal locket heats up and _ burns _ into her skin with a hissing sound. In the fog of agony in her brain, she realises that _ yup _ that's almost _ definitely _ going to leave a scar.

The pain dies down, and she snatches a breath. "Bloody _ hell, _ that hurts like a _ BITCH."_

_ "Riddle 4: I can be cut but I’m not a vegetable _

_ I’m found on a baseball field but I’m not grass _

_ I’m found on a ring but I’m not a boxer _

_ I’m in a deck of cards but I’m not a joker _

_ I’m a suit but I’m not an item of clothing." _Zora reads another riddle.

"Uh- Diamond!" Space blurts out.

"Ah, shit- sorry baby" Birdy catches herself, not wanting to put down her friend's victory.

"Correct. That's three of the five points you need, Space." Zora informs, picking up the next riddle as Birdy is shocked. The Philosopher screams again,but tries to muffle it so as to not upset her friend.

Tegan flinches at the sound anyway, only opening her eyes again when Zora coldly reads the fifth riddle to the group. Alex is sat nervously in the corner, murmuring the occasional snippet of encouragement.

"_ Riddle 5: I can move things even though I can’t be seen but I’m not the wind _

_ I shake but you can’t drink me _

_ I’m measured on a special scale but I don’t weigh anything _

_ I can knock down buildings but I’m not Godzilla _

_ I’m the result of moving plates but I’m not an empty table _

_ I’m caused by faults but no one has done anything wrong"_

"We're getting lit.." Birdy murmurs under her breath, barely loud enough to hear.

"An earthquake!" Dawson shouts, just beating Space to the punch.

"Earthquake- _ crap!" _Space swears- Dawson is swiftly catching up on his small lead.

Tegan knows Dawson got the point that time and squirms, desperately, trying to move her necklace off of her skin because the burn hurts _ so bad _-

And then the electricity takes her again, picking up her soul and shaking it like a baby's rattle, and she's screaming so loud because it hurts so much, _ please, make it stop make it stop please stop it-_

Her prayers are answered- partly. The electricity cuts out, but the pain doesn't _ really _ go away- she can _ feel _without even looking that her burn has gotten worse.

Finally, Tegan manages to move her locket into her dress but it's too late. The damage is done, and there's an angry red looking heart-shaped mark on her chest,just beneath the space between her collar bones.

"Oo, ha, _ owch, _ that'll be a fun scar to explain." She quips sarcastically, adding a silent _ if I ever get out of here _in her head.

"That stings like a mother_fucker." _ She grumbles, wishing she has something, _ anything, _to soothe the pain right now.

"Oh _ yeah _it does" Birdy sympathises.

"_ Riddle 6: I can be decorated but I’m not a house _

_ I can be boiled but I’m not a kettle _

_ I have a shell but I’m not a crab _

_ I can be cracked but I’m not a joke _

_ I come from a chicken but I’m not a nugget." _Zora reads, as much compassion in her voice as there is point to a chocolate fireguard.

"Eggs!" Space answers, hurriedly, and Tegan can barely contain her relieved whoop.

"_ Shiiiiiiiiit" _ Birdy says as she realises that one more right answer from Space _ will _kill her.

"Four of five points, Space. Dawson, you have three." Zora notifies them as Birdy screams in pain, fatigue tugging at her tired soul.

Tegan flinches- the fact that her simply _ surviving _ will kill her _ best friend _ (in and out of this hellscape) tears her apart inside, like a badly behaving pet left alone with a roll of toilet paper. 

She just wants all the pain to _ stop, _ wants to go _ home, _is that too much to ask? Apparently so, because her desperate wishes go ignored.

Tegan is so, _ so _tired.

"...only one left for me, you guys," Birdy sighs. "Look- I just wanna say I love you guys, and I'm proud of you all." She pauses, mulling over the right way to word it before continuing. "Also- fight for me, okay? All of you. Please?"

"Birdy…" Space trails off, filled with guilt.

“I’m so sorry,” Dawson mumbled sadly. She looked, to Tegan, like she'd just taken the weight of the world from the titan Atlas, and was about to buckle under the pressure.

Tegan is blinking back another round of tears- not only so she doesn't appear vulnerable or weak (though if she thinks about it, it's probably too late for that anyway), but because salt water conducts electricity _ so _well and frankly she can't handle any more pain.

"Just getting this out now- not that I don't trust you Daw, just... Just getting this out." Birdy clarifies awkwardly.

Heartlessly, Zora carries on. _ "Riddle 7:I have writing on me but I’m not a piece of paper _

_ I have a head but I’m not lettuce _

_ I’m made of metal but I’m not a robot _

_ I have a tail but I’m not an animal _

_ I can be tossed but I’m not a salad"_

Tegan knows almost instantly what it is, and, judging by the look on her friend's face, Birdy does too.

However, judging by the "I'm not sure…" from Spade and the "Ohmygosh _ what???" _from Dawson, their friends have no idea.

Which is frustrating, because Tegan just wants this over with. Win or lose, at least she can not be panicking about the next dumb riddle and whether or not Space will get it. And if Birdy beats her? Excellent! She hopes her friend escapes, and goes home to their other friends, their found family of sorts.

And as much as she doesn't want to hurt them, Tegan hopes they'll miss her as much as she'll miss them when she's gone.

She doesn't even _ want _ to consider the possibility of ""winning"", of having to suffer this hellscape without her golden girl by her side. She _ won't _ think about it. _ No._

Birdy sighs as Space and Dawson continue to fumble about trying to understand this new riddle. "Can I save my _ own _ ass?" She asks. She snorted and then adds: "watch _ those _be my last words."

"Uh- time to redo. Love you guys. Fight for me" Birdy says, looking a little more peaceful.

Tegan looks up at her, tears, years of friendship and a question in her eyes. "Birdy?" She starts, hesitantly.

"I love you, T…" her friend smiles softly yet sadly. "Just fight for me."

"Always, liebling, _ always, _I promise. What- what shall I say to the others? If I get home?"

"Tell them I love them, _ so _much, and that I hope they're all okay." Birdy answers, a broken smile shining out from her tired face. 

Tegan starts to cry, just a little. She knows she'll never be strong enough to break the news to their friends, to Jas and Leah and Kait and Alina and Dani and Jac and everyone _ else _ who loved Birdy, who _ still _loves Birdy, without breaking herself.

Birdy seems to suddenly notice something, and chuckles, and starts to hum out a tune.

Tegan recognises it pretty quickly as "Fight For Me" from Heathers, The Musical. She sings along, gently, tentatively, trying to hold her friend's hand through song- whilst internally damning these binds to hell.

"_ And hey, would you hold my hand, and would you carry me through no-man's-land?"_

Birdy smiles gently, and picks up the melody. _ "It's fine if you don't agree,"_

_ "But I would fight for you, if you would fight, for me." _The two sing in soft, gentle, harmony.

Finally, Dawson guess coin, and no pun intended but she's right on the money. Which makes it 4-4, and the winner of the next riddle is the winner full stop.

Tegan barely even registers the pain amidst the relief that it's nearly over.

"Ohh,_ big _oof" she quips as the electricity releases its grasp on her, rolling her neck to stretch as best she can whilst strapped down.

"The final and tiebreaker riddle is as follows;

_ Riddle 8: I contain water but I’m not a bottle _

_ I can be used to make milk but I’m not a cow _

_ I’m white on the inside but I’m not a loaf of bread _

_ I have a husk but I’m not a head of corn _

_ I have a hard shell but I’m not an egg _

_ I’m brown and hairy on the outside but I’m not a dog"_

Spaces eyes light up with the glow of victory as he calls out "Coconut!".

Zora nods. He and Tegan have won.

_ Birdy's going to die _ is the only thought in Tegan's mind, and gasps, desperate fearful pleas of "no- Birdy, _ no!" _falling from her mouth like water down a waterfall.

_ "No!" _Dawson cries out. She looks broken- she slumps to her knees, shoulders curling inwards. Birdy smiles at her partner, tips her hat and mouths something Tegan can't quite make out.

Whatever it is makes Dawson breaks down crying, placing her head in her hands. “Birdy! Birdy, I’m so sorry!” she sobs.

You can see the _ exact _moment the pain hits The Philosopher. Tegan definitely did, because she can't tear her horrified soft brown gaze away from the sight in front of her.

Birdy stiffens up like an overstuffed ragdoll, and she's trying _ so hard _not to writhe and scream, but her limbs and even her head jerk a little of their own accord, and a pained cry rips from her throat.

Tegan breaks down _ completely _ in that moment, shouting over her friend's cries - " _ I'm _ sorry _ liebling! I'm so sorry- I love you, I'm sorry I'm so sorry, bitte, Bärchen _no!" - German and English crashing together like the electricity and Birdy's tired form. Birdy's agonised shrieks and her broken screams are like a symphony of suffering.

It's a few minutes before everything shuts down, leaving naught but a shell of the girl Birdy once was. Salty tear tracks crackle with aftershocks. The corpse that was once The Philosopher, Tegan's best friend, confidant, who meant _ everything _to her, especially in this godforsaken house, is limp.

The latches and locks on Tegan's binds spring free, and she climbs to her feet, rubbing her sore wrists. The room is dead silent.

She stumbles over to her deceased friend, and it sounds stupid but she gently adjusts her so she'd be more comfortable.

Tegan mutters the words "May the stars accept your soul,and may you find peace and rest amongst them.", as she gently shuts her friend's eyes. She doesn't know why. It just feels like the right thing to do.

And then she turns to the group, anger flaring up like the spark that sets the whole damn forest alight.

"Who. The _ fuck. _Voted for Birdy?" She demands to know, fury suddenly engulfing her like flames do to gasoline.

Noone speaks for a good minute, and she bangs her fist on the little wooden table, making an impressive _ bang _noise. "Answer me!" She sobs, tears and emotions flowing from her.

Dawson looks up shamefully from where she, The Paleontologist, has collapsed to the floor. "I'm sorry…" she whispers.

Shock jolts through Tegan's veins, and she's at a loss for words. "You? _ You _voted for her?" She spits the words out.

No answer. Tegan's taking that as a _ yes._

"I- you- we- we had an _ alli-" _ she tries to stutter out and then she slams her fist down again, making another loud _ bang _ sound. " _ You killed my best friend!!" _She shrieks, bursting into shoulder-wracking sobs once more.

She takes Birdy's top hat and hugs it gently to her chest- her legs are about to give out, she can tell but she _ cant- _ she _ won't _show weakness in front of her former-ally-turned-enemy Dawson.

"Ah- who did you vote for, Tegan? Space desperately tries to change the subject.

Tegan blinks up at him, gaze sparking and burning. "I voted for _ myself. _ I knew I needed to prove myself after that _ shitshow _ and I thought Birdy would be safe because she was the best damn person _ in _this place! But no… serves me right for trusting everyone." She scoffs.

Tegan picks herself up, and with one final glance at the corpse of the girl she could never find enough affectionate nicknames for - _ Bärchen, Schatz, Liebling, Baby, Babe, Darling, Bynny, Love, Sweetheart - _she storms out of the basement ahead of the group, running for the lounge as fast as her only-just-heels will take her.

The others catch up eventually, and Tegan snatches the artefact from Dawson's hands, and sets it down on the marble mantelpiece.

She goes to sit down - Rea looks like she wants to know what happened, but she's apparently smart enough to keep her mouth shut - and plops into her seat with a hefty sigh, glaring daggers at Dawson. The Paleontologist looks like she wants to apologize, but when she opens her mouth The Mediator snaps at her.

"_ Don't _ you fucking _ dare _talk to me." Tegan practically growls, and Dawson flinches.

And then, in that moment, it hits Tegan that Birdy's _ really _dead and gone. She slumps, the fire in her stomach is replaced with a hollow ache in her heart. She feels sick.

She misses her already, but she's gonna follow her Bärchen's last wishes and _ fight _ for her. She'll fight like _ hell _if it means getting out of here and making sure Birdy's memory lives on.

She's gonna have to carry _ herself _through no-man's-land now.


	2. Since You've Been Gone, I've Been Dancing On My Own

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hoo boy its been a while but chapter two! :D
> 
> tw's for kidnapping, feuding, verrryyyyyy light allusion to sexual assualt but its like one character doesnt like having hands on their hips, refers to it as a "trigger spot", so its blink and you'll miss it but still
> 
> stay stafe! <3 - T

Silence falls on the group, the empty seat beside T mirroring the hole in her soul where Birdy once sat.

What feels like a lifetime ago, The Philosopher had put it well herself, when a friend left for a little while.

She'd said, roughly, "You keep them in a special place in your heart. And now that they're not here, even just for a little while, there's a hole left. It's like a pillar has been taken away from you and now everything's shaking."

And, once again, T's foundations are shuddering, but she can't afford to crumble now.

Alex breaks the silence with a hefty sigh. "Man, the room really feels dead without Birdy."

"Oh, you think?!" T snaps.

"If only someone didn't vote her in." He glares at Dawson, who shrinks under the heat of his gaze.

"Yeah, Dawson, what the _ fuck _was that?!" T sits up from where she'd been slumped, exhausted from pain and emotion. "Why'd you do it?"

"She was pulling her weight! She didn't deserve _ any _of that!" Alex adds, nodding angrily.

"You killed my best friend, Dawson. You and I and her we were _ allies _." She says quietly, sadness surrounding her.

Dawson opens her mouth, as if to respond, and then shuts it again, refusing to meet T's gaze. "I didn't- I don't know. I was going to put _ myself _in, but I thought I could save her. I'm so sorry, T."

T crosses her arms across her chest, and bites her cheek. "I don't forgive you. At all. But- we don't have time to fucking fight right now. We have to get out of here."

"I won't let her have died in vain." She adds on quietly. T wonders if Birdy can see them right now- is she proud? Does she miss them? T hopes she does, as selfish as it sounds.

Dawson nods. "That's fine. Let's just focus on the next clue."

T puts on Birdy's hat, and removes her heart-shaped locket, cursing at the pain from her burn. She clicks it open for just a second- the photo of Birdy is slightly frazzled- but the other ones are okay. Jas and Leah and Kait and Alina and everyone else still smile up at her. T clicks it shut, clutches it to her chest for just a moment, and stows it in her pocket.

"I guess so." Alex says.

T starts to look around for a note, or a clue, anything that could help them, really.

"Our numbers are thinning.' Alex says, concerned.

"Yeah, no _ shit _Sherlock." T snarks. Alex's insensitive comments are exhausting her.

"Haha, anyway, let's get to looking.' Alex says, awkwardly.

T goes back to searching, and then a realisation hits her like a ton of bricks.

"...was the next clue in the basement." She states. "Did we miss it?! Because-" The image of Birdy's dead body flashes in her brain. "I'm _ not _going down there again!"

"Nope, nothing but two dead bodies." Alex jokes.

"Not funny, asshole!" Rea shouts from across the room.

Alex ducks his head in embarrassment, and goes back to searching behind cushions and furniture.

T rummages through the drawers in the desk, and also checks under the rug, but she comes up with nothing.

"We don't have _ time _to keep searching, dawn is on the way!" Alex whines, throwing down a cushion in frustration.

"We _ know- _Oh! Shit, we didn't check the artefacts!" T says, and hurries over to the artefacts. She picks up the latest one, and shakes it gently to see if there's anything inside, before turning it over to check for a hatch.

"Whatever you do, _ don't _break it!" Space frets.

T looks at him, dumbfounded. "Birdy literally _ died _for this, there's no way in hell I'm going to let it get broken."

She runs her gloved hands over the legs of the artefact, and finds a hatch. "Aha! Yes!"

T gently pulls it open, and a note falls out.

"A clue!" Rea cheers.

"Yeah, T, read it!" Alex urges.

She sets the artefact down. _ Thank you, Birdy. _ Gently, T picks up the clue and reads it.

"_ I go up and down but I’m not a helicopter _

_ I can be climbed but I’m not a mountain _

_ I can be a flight but I don’t have any wings _

_ I have steps but I’m not a ladder _

_ I help you get between floors but I’m not an elevator" _She reads aloud. "Easy, that's the stairs."

"Stairs! Let's go there!" Alex says, and leads the group up to the staircase.

Dawson climbs up, and says "Hey, this step is a little squeaky."

Alex goes over to her, and pushes her aside with a hasty "Let me see!". She squawks in indignation as she almost trips, clutching the banister.

Alex pries open the floorboard, and inside there's a note. "Guys! We got a clue!" and he reads it to the group.

_ "I’m rolled but I’m not a ball _

_ I have several faces but I’m not a group of people _

_ I’m covered in spots but I don’t have acne _

_ I’m sometimes blown on but I’m not hot _

_ I’m a cube but I’m not made of ice" _

"Oh, that's a dice! Specifically a d6!" T informs the group. She's played a _ lot _of D&D (arguably too much),so she knows her way around a dice.

"Nice work," Dawson praises.

"Yeah, T, you're really good at riddles!" Alex smiles at her.

"Thanks." _ Maybe she isn't entirely alone here, after all. _

"So we need to look for dice." Rea says, eyes flicking around the area.

"Where would we find them.." Space muses.

"Was there like a gaming room? Or a gambling place?" T guesses.

Alex clicks his fingers and points at T. "Yes! The gaming room, upstairs!"

"Lead the way!" Dawson says, and the group proceeds to climb the rest of the stairs.

Alex tentatively pushes open the door, and reveals a game room, that, in any other circumstances, T would think was really neat! Dark wooden floor lined with shelves and shelves of board games, card games, and stuff like that.s, and deep forest green walls.

People immediately start searching for anything that would have dice, and Alex goes to open Jumanji, when both T and Dawson _ shriek _at him not to.

“Oh my god _ Alex _we don’t need to be sucked into another death game pUT THAT DOWN” T shouts, getting increasingly stressed by the second.

“She’s right, that shit’s _ cursed, _Alex” Dawson adds, eyes wide.

Alex shrugs off their worries, and opens the box. Nothing happens. “”Cursed” my _ ass!” _he laughs, setting it down again.

T glares at him, and picks up Yahtzee!, because that’s a dice game. She opens it, and is immediately sprayed in the face with a puff of _ something, _ she doesn’t know what it is but you know what her lungs _ do not _like it.

She drops it back on the shelf, and doubles over, hacking and coughing. Various shouts of distress can be heard from the group, and she croaks out, between coughs “I’m okay, just give me a minute-”

After a little bit, she straightens up, taking deep shuddering breaths, dusting off her outfit.

“You okay there, T?” Alex asks, concerned.

“Tiptop shape,” she says, deadpan, and looks back over to the not-asthma-friendly Yahtzee! box. There’s a note, and her brown eyes flick over it, and go wide.

_ “Crap.” _she swears, and then proceeds to read it to the group.

_ “Everything comes at a cost. You’ve found the dice, but now you must roll one- the number you roll is the amount of times your name will go into the voting pile - other people’s votes for you will still be counted, this is extra.” _

“Oh, _ shit,” _Rea says.

“Damn that's wild,” Alex agrees, and Dawson hums in agreement, looking sympathetic (T doesn’t want the traitor’s sympathy). Space just nods.

She cups her hands, and shakes the dice, praying to the dice gods, for once, to _ not _ roll well. T lets the dice go, and it rolls across the counter, comping to a stop - _ 3\. _

“Three. Eh, could’ve been worse,” T shrugs, at this point she’s emotionally hollowed out, she couldn’t care less about anything.

“Yeah, at least it wasn’t a 5 or 6,” Alex adds.

She picks up the dice to examine them - she knows they look familiar, must be from a game she’s played before, but she can’t put her finger on _ which one. _

Dawson comes over to look, and picks one up, squinting as she concentrates. “Oh! Got it! These are Monopoly dice, I’d say!” she allows herself a small self-satisfied smile.

Space finds the monopoly set, and opens it. They pop in the dice, and a note is found.

_ “The Gamemaster wants to play, but all the player pieces have been relocated, put somewhere they’re “better suited”! Go find them, please.” _Rea reads.

“So the shoes will be on a shoe rack, thimble by a sewing thing, etc?” Space asks, and Alex nods, assuming that that's right.

"I'll go find the hat," T offers, at the same time that Dawson says she's going to look for the shoe. T realises they'll be in the lobby together, and her gut twists- she just wants Dawson to leave her alone, let her rot in her emotions, but this damn house keeps shoving them together.

She glares at Dawson, who shrinks into herself, avoiding the look.

"Let's just go," T says briskly, adjusting her gloves as she walks out the door, shoes clicking on the wooden floor.

Her heart hurts so much and it won't _ stop, _ no matter what she does and she misses Birdy _ so goddamn much. _She puts her hand in her pocket, absentmindedly clutching at her locket. T wishes she was back at home, writing fanfic or playing Stardew Valley, instead of coming to this dumb house.

The estranged Mediator and Paleontologist walk into the room, and the air is so thick with tension you could probably stab it with a sword. T searches for the damn hat, just wanting to get out of there as quick as possible.

“Hey, uh, T, I just wanted to say-” Dawson starts to say, wringing her hands awkwardly. T sighs sharply and cuts her off.

“_ Look, _ Dawson, I don’t want to speak to you, I don’t want you to speak to _ me, _ I’m fucking heartbroken and _every_ time you open your mouth it makes it _ worse, _somehow. We’re stuck working together for now but just- please.” Her tone softens slightly on the last word, and the tension falls from her shoulders, if only for just a second before she adjusts her posture, slipping back into her cold, angry facade as if nothing has happened, and goes back to searching.

“Okay,” Dawson says quietly.

The two work in relative silence, even though T’s mind is _ screaming _ to apologise, because she _is_ being a dick and she _knows_ it but she just can’t _ deal _ with what happened and she _ has _to keep going.

If she stops, if she lets herself crash and burn, will she ever rise from the ashes? T’s no phoenix, just a broken little canary who’s been silenced by grief. 

Eventually, she finds the hat, tucked in the brim off another. She rolls the piece around in her fingers, and goes to tell Dawson that she’s found but is suddenly cut off by a scream from the other girl.

She whips around, hands balling into fists - not that she ever learned to throw a punch - and watches Dawson being picked up and slung over some massive brute’s shoulder, kicking and screaming.

Even if they’ve been feuding, at their core, T and Dawson _ are _friends, so T’s defensive mum friend instincts are kicking in (as well as her anxiety, her heart’s beating out of her chest), so she goes to start shouting for them to put her down this instant before she sticks them with a bobby pin- but her train of thought crashes as a pair of hands grabs her from behind, lifting her up.

T freaks - the way they grabbed her was in one of her many trigger spots, she does not want this strange masculine figure putting their hands on her hips - as she is slung over a shoulder, and the person begins to walk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> eek hope you enjoyed! please leave a nice comment!!!!!!!! see you soon!  
<3<3<3  
\- T

**Author's Note:**

> >:) I'll see you soon for chapter two~  
if you enjoyed or uhh felt any emotions please leave a comment they make my day!!! ❤️❤️❤️


End file.
